wlaidlaw Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7801 Posted October 1, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Could it be a Wolseley? I know they made some wonderful racing cars in the period including a 100hp horizontal four cylinder in 1904, so that the riding mechanic could change the spark plugs from his seat. Herbert Austin designed various race cars for them before leaving to set up his own business but this would be after that period, I would guess the car dates from around 1911-12 by the Rudge-Whitworth type wire wheels. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Hi wlaidlaw, Take a look here Name this car..... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7802 Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Wilson, 1911-12 is too early and it's not a Wolseley. It is a racing car. dunk Edited October 1, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7803 Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Two more photos … Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Fuel pump handle is next to the driver's knee and he'd just given it several pushes whilst the engine was idling … waiting in the queue to leave the 2 day event. I'm surprised it's road legal … perhaps different rules apply to vintage vehicles. The car did not have far to travel; owner lives in Earls Barton approx. 15 miles from the Cranford event venue. Although RHD, the car was not made in the UK. On the previous day the owner drove his 1947 HRG 1500 to the event. dunk Edited October 1, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Fuel pump handle is next to the driver's knee and he'd just given it several pushes whilst the engine was idling … waiting in the queue to leave the 2 day event. I'm surprised it's road legal … perhaps different rules apply to vintage vehicles. The car did not have far to travel; owner lives in Earls Barton approx. 15 miles from the Cranford event venue. Although RHD, the car was not made in the UK. On the previous day the owner drove his 1947 HRG 1500 to the event. dunk ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=2897219'>More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7804 Posted October 1, 2015 Could it be a Brasier? Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7805 Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Not a Brasier. Not French. The 'type' refers to the type of races and tracks where the car competed. dunk Edited October 1, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7806 Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) The tracks were eventually abandoned in favour of alternative less maintenance intensive 'circuits' … but their design influence continued. In their heyday there were over 20 tracks but they seldom lasted more than a few years. The races were very popular events; they attracted tens of thousands of spectators and offered high prize money. The car was not built in the USA or Europe. dunk Edited October 1, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manoleica Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7807 Posted October 1, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) I googled:- Maybe.. Peugeot, National, or Miller.. (Could not find an exact image as per your Post) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7808 Posted October 1, 2015 The car was not built in the USA or Europe. dunk Australian, by chance ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7809 Posted October 1, 2015 Harkness and Hillier - being about the only native Australian racing car in the 1920's, although much of the mechanics came from Willys Overland cars. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7810 Posted October 1, 2015 I googled:- Maybe.. Peugeot, National, or Miller.. (Could not find an exact image as per your Post) Not a Peugeot, or National or Miller Cheers dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7811 Posted October 1, 2015 Australian, by chance ? Not Australian … wrong hemisphere Best wishes dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7812 Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Harkness and Hillier - being about the only native Australian racing car in the 1920's, although much of the mechanics came from Willys Overland cars. Wilson Not Harkness and Hillier and not Australian. Wrong hemisphere. And not made in the USA … and this particular car was not made in the '20s … but … there's more to the 'Americas' than just the USA !! … big continents! dunk Edited October 1, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7813 Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Consider the types of circuit used for race cars of this vintage and their locations and the fact that those tracks were eventually abandoned for a number of reasons including: a) Children allegedly risking their lives as spectators by exploiting the tracks' weaknesses. b ) Drivers risking and suffering facial injuries c) Excessive / prohibitive cost of track repairs Consider the engine photo and the number of cylinders … look at the number of HT leads / spark plugs. dunk Edited October 1, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7814 Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Now its Geography the main question mark... ... "wrong emisphere" = not South America RHD = english "connection" "facial injuries" = races in odd places with... many birds flying around ? about the engine... taken from a plane ? (there was the famous FIAT D76 with such a monster engine...) But I do not tend towards East... could be Canada the birthplace ("there is more to the Americas than just USA") ? Edited October 1, 2015 by luigi bertolotti Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 1, 2015 Share #7815 Posted October 1, 2015 (edited) Yes Luigi, Canada was the car's birthplace. Birds were not flying or causing facial injuries. Aeroplanes were not linked to the engine dunk Edited October 1, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted October 2, 2015 Share #7816 Posted October 2, 2015 An ice lake racing car? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 2, 2015 Share #7817 Posted October 2, 2015 An ice lake racing car? Wilson, It's not an ice lake racing car. Since commencing this thread I've Emailed some photos of the car to its 'marque' club in Australia ( the club is very active in Australia even though the car is not Australian) because after Googling, there appeared to be a possibility their archives have a photo of a roadster built on the same chassis. I've now received a reply from the club's webmaster who suggests the car is not the 'type' of race car as described in a previous UK classic car show catalogue. That particular catalogue describes the car as a 'board racer' i.e. a 'board track racing car'. There is no description of the car in last weekend's Kettering Steam Fayre catalogue / programme - where only the owner's '47 HRG 1500 appears. Wooden board tracks / circuits / motordromes were constructed in the USA during the period 1910 -1927 - relatively cheaply via the ample supplies of N American timber available - but subsequent and frequently required track maintenance was very costly. The tracks were dangerous e.g. after being sprayed with oil by constant loss lubrication racing motor cycles . Furthermore, wooden splinters thrown up by cars and bikes travelling at high speed caused injuries to drivers / riders and spectators. Competitors' and spectators' deaths were relatively frequent following accidents … and children allegedly climbed under the boards and watched the races by sticking their heads up through gaps in unrepaired /damaged parts of the tracks. Board track circuits became prohibitively expensive to maintain and were gradually abandoned … but in their heyday attracted vast crowds of spectators. The marque club webmaster suggests that the car's electrics are not original and neither are the wheels . He's of the opinion the car could be war surplus or an HM Govt war import but with a genuine chassis. However, there's definitely a brass plate inside the car bearing the marque name i.e. ' XXXXXX Racing Division' (or similar wording) which also states the total number manufactured … and from memory the plate is engraved 'No 11 of 52' … as if 52 race cars were originally built. I should have taken a photograph of the plate … the plate looks genuine and if so there must be other similar plates i.e. on cars of the same series. So … the plot thickens. Race cars are modified over the years thus it's unlikely this example is totally original. Maybe it's a modified board track racer? Maybe board track racers had an advantage if constructed with RHD? I've seen photos of other makes of RHD board track racers but most do not have wire spoke wheels . The webmaster, who has almost completed a 600 page UK and European history of the marque, also suggests that if it has a UK racing history it could have competed at Brooklands. I'll post his full reply later - but meantime still require someone to state the actual make / marque and approximate year of manufacture. The straight six engine should be a good clue … and we've already established that the car was made in Canada. When I spoke to the owner he advised me of its Canadian manufacture /origin. Forum members could keep guessing and eventually strike lucky but there should be enough information in the foregoing to firmly identify the make - if you know the history of first quarter 20th C. N. American car manufacturers. So I hope someone comes up with a couple of valid reasons for a firm ID … other than just guessing. Best wishes dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted October 2, 2015 Share #7818 Posted October 2, 2015 Dunk, Board racing still goes on. I used to use Hoosier board racing slick/dry bias belted tyres on my Ralt F2 hill climb car in the UK, because they were ultra light (about half the weight of the Avons) and heated up incredibly quickly. The downside was that they had very sudden break-away characteristics and were not very user friendly. You also could not take the car on the trailer with them for any distance, as due to the very thin sidewalls, they deflated in about 12 hours, so you always had the bind of changing back to the Avon wet tyres to load on the trailer. On tarmac, they had a life of around 30-40 miles. Wilson. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 2, 2015 Share #7819 Posted October 2, 2015 (edited) Thank you Wilson. Where are the board tracks which are still in use? Here's another photo. The engraved brass nameplate showing 'XXXXXXX Racing Car Division' (or something very similar) and ' Number 'nn' of 'NN' ' is screwed onto the interior bulkhead immediately above the steering column. I've tried to decipher the exact wording by enlarging the image but unfortunately it's too indistinct. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Best wishes dunk Edited October 2, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Best wishes dunk ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=2897833'>More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 4, 2015 Share #7820 Posted October 4, 2015 (edited) And another photo … Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The brass plate above the steering column is visible in this photo. Eight photos have been posted showing the car from different angles and including one engine image. Should be fairly straightforward to ascertain the actual marque from the pics and the information. dunk Edited October 4, 2015 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The brass plate above the steering column is visible in this photo. Eight photos have been posted showing the car from different angles and including one engine image. Should be fairly straightforward to ascertain the actual marque from the pics and the information. dunk ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=2898567'>More sharing options...
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